Automatic sadiron



Sept. 12, 1944. G @LWNG AUTOMATIC SADIRON Filed Jan. 26, l942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //l/// I I INVENTOR. ER 0/? 68. UL V/NG septa 19440 B. G. OLViNG AUTOMATIC SADIRON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1942 7 w DA .mm H. w. G hm J m B Patented Sept. 12, 1944 2,351,905 ao'rom'rrc SADIBON Bror G. Olving, Elgin, Ill., assignor to McGraw Electric Company, Elgin, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application January 26, 1942, Serial No. 428,195 (01. 219-25) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to electrically heated devices and particularly to electrically heated pressing irons.

An object of my invention is to provide a sadiron having its main parts made of glass or of similar translucent synthetic material.

Another object of my invention is to provide a sadiron having a minimum number of glass gization of the electric heating element and which has substantially no thermal lag or heat storage characteristics.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric iron in which the radiant heat rays effecting the ironing are distributed substantially uniformly over the entire ironing surface of the soleplate.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an electric iron having practically no heat losses, so that substantially all of the heat generated by the heating elements is transmitted directly to the work being ironed without the necessity of first heating up the iron itself.

Other objects of my invention will either be obvious from a description and the drawings comprising a part of this application or will be pointed out in the course of such description and set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the center of an iron embodying my invention, I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the soleplate shown in Fig. 1 with the glass handle and easing removed therefrom,

Fig. 4 is a rear end view of the parts shown inFig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the connections of the heating elements and control circuits.

An automatic electric sad or pressing iron H comprises a solepiate or body 3 and a" unitary or combined casing and handle l5 together with means for holding the two parts in their proper operative relative positions.

The soleplate I3 is of the usual generally triangular contour commonly used in domestic irons and while I at present prefer to make it of a proper kind of glass, such as Pyrex, I do not desire to be limited thereto since synthetic materials might be found usable. The soleplate i3 is provided with the usual ironing surface I! which is, of course, of flat shape and the upper surface is shaped to provide a plurality of arouate surfaces l9, 2i and 23, these surfaces extending longitudinally of the iron. I desire to point out, however, that I do not wish to be limited to the longitudinal position of these arcuate surfaces since they may also extend laterally of the iron.

These surfaces have a parabolic curvature and the soleplate I3 is provided with elongated openings 25 the center or axial lines of which are located at the focal lines of these curved surfaces.

A corresponding plurality of elongated rod or bar-shaped heating units 21 is provided, one of each of these heating units being positioned in the openings or holes 25 hereinbefore described. While I have shown an elongated rod of substantially cylindrical shape in lateral section and preferably made of a carbonaceous or similar material moulded into the shape shown in the drawings, I desire it to be understood that instead of such heating units I may use substantially cylindrical heating elements comprising an electric insulating support and resistance wire or strip wound on the outside thereof.

Each of the rods 21 may be provided with an electric conducting end member 29 at its front end and with a similar electric conducting bushing or end member 3i at its rear end to provide terminal members for the two ends of the resistance element 21.

The front end of each of the holes 25 may be provided with a suitable bushing 33 which may be either of metal or of electric insulation and the front end terminal 29 may be provided with' a projection or pin 35 fitting into an opening in member 33 to properly position the rodshaped heating element in the hole 25. I provide also an upwardly extending electric-conducting bar 31 the lower end of which extends between members 29 and 33, this bar having an opening therein through which the pin 35 may project to prevent bar 31 from working out of its position between members 29 and 33. It may also be pointed out that the heating element 21 in hole 25 is fixed by the end terminals 29 and 3 i.

I provide also a skeleton frame 39 which in cludes a plurality of depending preferably integral portions 4|, here shown as six in number,

depending from the general plane of the substantially fiat skeleton frame 39. The lower end portions *of the depending members 4| are individually provided with clamping screws 43 adapted to enter cooperating recesses or depressions 45 provided at spaced points along the side edge of the soleplate I3. These clamping screws 43 enter the recesses 45, substantially as shown in F g. of the drawings, to thereby hold the skeleton frame 89 in proper operative position above the soleplate l3. While I have not shown any locking means on the individual screws 43, 1 desire it to be understood that such locking means may be provided and that instead of using short machine screws. I may use other means or members for ensuring the holding of the skeleton frame 39 on the soleplate l3.

At the rear end of the frame 39 I provide a pair of depending projections 41. I further provide a sheet of electric insulating material 49 engaging the forward or inner surface of these projections 41 and I further provide a bar 5! of electric conducting material, such as metal, engaging the inner surface of member 49. A plurality of short machine screws 53 extend through member 5i and may be adjusted to engage the respective terminal members 3i of the individual electric heating elements hereinbefore described. The member 5| therefore constitutes a common terminal for the rear ends of the individual heating elements 21. The forward ends of these individual heating elements may be connected by means of short conductors 55 .(see Fig. 3) to provide a common terminal structure for the front end portions of the heating elements. While I have shown a parallel connection of the individual heating elements, I do not desire to be restricted thereto since these may be connected in series circuit relation relatively to each other in a manner well known in the art.

I provide a thermally actuable control switch including a pair of contact members 57 insulatedly supported on a spring bar 59 supported at its rear end by a pair of blocks 5!, of electric insulating material, secured to the frame 39 by machine screws 53 or in any other suitable or desired manner- A bimetal bar 65 is supported by the screws 63 immediately above the middle arcuate surface 2! so as to be afiected by heat from the central heating element 21.

I provide further a cooperating pair of contact members 51 adapted to engage with or be disengaged from the contact members 57, contact members 61 being insulatedly supported by a short bar 69 one end of which is carried by a resilient bar ll, one end of which is secured to the front end portion of skeleton frame 99 by any suitable or desired means. Member 69 is provided with an adjusting screw "I3 which is adapted to be' adjusted relatively to member 69 and to engage with bimetal bar 65 at its movable front end. An adjusting screw 15 is supported by a member TI with which it has screw-threaded engagement and a knob 19 is mounted on the upper end of rod 15 to permit of varying the position of the contact members 51 relatively to the contact members 61 by the lower end of rod 15 engaging spring bar 59.

It is necessary to ensure that substantially all of the radiant heat rays generated by the heating elements 21 will reach the ironing surface of the soleplate and I therefore provide a reflecting surface 9| for each of the parabolically curved upper surfaces l9, 2| and 23 of the soleplate I3. I may deposit electrolytically or in any other suitable way a relatively thin coating of a reflecting material, preferably of a suitable metal such as platinum or other suitable metal against the outside of the curved surfaces i9, 2| and 23, or I may shape relatively thin sheet metal having a highly reflecting inner surface and position the same closely adjacent to the upper surfaces of portions I9, 21 and 23. A part of the intermediate reflecting surface may be interrupted or removed so that heat rays from the central heating element 21 can impinge upon the bimetal bar 65 to cause the same to operate in a manner to control the temperature of the heating elements by causing energization and deenergization of the heating elements in accordance with the desired temperature.

My improved iron includes further, as has already been hereinbefore stated, a unitary or combination casing and handle IS, the casing 83 being of the usual shape complementary to the soleplate and supported out of heat-transmitting engagement therewith by the skeleton frame and means new to be described.

I provide a plurality of internally screw-thread ed bushing members 85 which may be fitted into openings in the moulded glass member l5 and cemented therein with litharge and glycerin. I have shown two such front bushings or holding members and two rear members. The front mem bers 85 have secured thereto L-shaped supporting brackets 81 by screws 89, the depending portion of members 8! being provided with openings to receive a pin 9| extending substantially horizontally and laterally from an up-standing portion 99 either a part of or secured to the skeleton frame 99.

The-rear members may be so positioned in the rear side portions of casing 83 as to fltagainst the upper surface of rear end portions of skeleton frame .99 to be held thereagainst by short machine screws 85.

It is to be noted that since the unitary casing and handle I5 is to be made of a moulded glass, preferably Pyrex, its shape can be made of any desired form to provide a pleasing contour. It is to be noted that adjusting knob 19 is mounted at the upper end of rod 15 and above the easing 53.

I provide further a plurality of terminals 91 insulatedly supported on a cross bar 99 which is in turn supported by a rearwardly projecting portion ill! of the skeleton frame 39. I provide further leads or conductors, all in a manner well known in the art, between the individual electric heating elements, the control switch and the terminal members 9! and a further description thereof in detail is believed not to be required. A twin conductor cord I03 may extend through a bushing J5 in a side wall of the rear end portion of the unitarymember l5 and have its individual conductors connected to the terminals 91.

I may provide further a closure plate ill! at the rear end of the iron assembly which closure plate may be held by a screw I09 extending therethrough and into a part of the skeleton frame 39.

The device embodying my invention thus provides a novel and improved form of electric sad or pressing iron comprising a minimum number of parts, particularly a soleplate in which the heat rays are caused to impinge upon the work being operated upon, those heat rays which originally leave the substantially cylindrical heating elements away from the work being reflected thereagainst by suitable reflecting members so that substantially all of the heat generated by the heating elements is efl'ective for the desired purpose and is distributed substantially uniformly over the ironing surface.

The device embodying my invention further provides a relatively light-weight pressing iron.

Various modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and all such modifications clearly coming within the scope of the appended claims shall be considered to be covered thereby.

I claim as my invention:

1. An automatic electric iron comprising a glass soleplate having a plurality of substantially paracombined casing and handle of glass supported above said soleplate by said skeleton frame structure.

2. An electric iron comprising a glass soleplate having a plurality of parallel substantially parabolically curved upper surface portions each of appreciable length, electric heating elements of elongated substantially cylindrical form located in the focal lines of the respective curved ortions, parabolically curved reflectors electrolytically deposited on the respective curved portions, and a unitary casing and handle structure over said soleplate.

3. An electric iron comprising a glass soleplate having a plurality of spaced parallel relatively long portions at its upper surface of substantially parabolic curvature, is reflecting surface closely adjacent and conforming to said parabolicaily curved portions, relatively iong openings of sub stantially circular shape in cross section below said respective curved portions with their axial lines coinciding substantially with the axial lines of the reflectors, electric heating elements of substantially circular shape in cross section in the respective openings having their respective axes substantially in alignment with the axes of the openings they respectively occupy to cause heat rays generated by the heating elements to be distributed substantially uniformly over the lower surface of the glass soleplate and a combined casing and handle structure over the soleplate and heating elements.

4. An automatic electric iron comprising a glass soleplate having a plurality of substantially parabollcally curved longitudinally extending upper surface portions, a reflecting surface closely ad- Jacent and conforming to each of said plurality of parabolically curved upper surface portions, a corresponding plurality of openings of substantially circular cross section below said curved surface portions and a plurality of spaced recesses in the side edges of the soleplate, heating elements of cylindrical form in said openings, terminal members on the ends of said heating elements adapted to hold the heating elements substantially coaxially in said openings, a casing and handle of glass, a thermal switch for the heating elements, a terminal block, a frame structure between the soleplate and the casing having depending portions entering the recesses in the soleplate and adapted to support the switch, the terminal block, the casing and the handle and means engaging the depending frame portions in the recesses and the soleplate to hold the frame structure in proper operative position relatively to the soleplate.

BROR G. OLVING. 

